Ileostomy and diabetes

FormerMember over 5 years ago

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Hi there, I'm asking on behalf of my Dad, he had his ileostomy procedure on the 22nd of October, so he's had it a while, and has been at home for about 10 days.

My Dad is diabetic, controlled with insulin and metformin, and up until his chemotherapy (which concluded in September), his blood sugars were very well controlled, but of course, with the stress of the surgery, the change in his diet, and the fact he's not currently using his colon, we realise that his blood sugar readings are going to be quite unstable.

I'm led to believe that the ileostomy diet and the diabetes diet are not very similar, so there'll be quite a lot of changes happening.

Are there any other members with ileostomies who are also diabetic, controlled with insulin and metformin?

(I'm also thrilled to share that Dad is now cancer free!)

Bev x

FormerMember over 5 years ago

Hi Bev

Really good news that dad is now cancer free, what a relief all round here's hoping for the future.

I'm a Type 2 diabetic with a permanent ileostomy and was on a basal-bolus injection regime without drugs for a number of years until I lost a lot of weight and was taken off the regime but unfortunately after being in hospital earlier this year I was started on Linagliptin which did not please me.

I was on Metformin many years ago but asked to be taken off them and over the years various medics have tried to restart it but always refused and told them to check my notes as I had CKD I could not take the drug.

Enough about me

Metformin and ileostomies do not mix, dad at some time should discuss this with his diabetic team and his GP, there are alternatives to the drug.

Eating as diabetic with an ileostomy does present problems and is recognised by Diabetes UK but trying to find a compromise when planning meals.

The general advice for both conditions is to try and eat as normal as possible but taking into the effects that different foods can have an effect on our diabetes and ileostomies.

Keeping a food diary would be a good thing to start in which dad can record all his food and drink input and the effects he notices on both his diabetes and ileostomy.

For a more professional take on this can I suggest that you repost your question on our (Missing Group) group page and hopefully she will be able to come up with a list of suitable foods for each condition that can be amalgamated to form a meal plan

I hope that the dietitian will come up with something suitable for you.

But it should always be noted that as we are all unique in our own right as a such what one person eats may not be suitable to the next and comes down to trial and error. Both conditions have one thing in common and that is small portions during the day.

In the meantime this is probably something I should address as an information sheet for the group.

Please keep us in informed how dad is getting on and if he has any problems let me know and we'll find a solution.

Ian

By clicking on the green text above will take you to the dietitian page and you can then ask your questions.

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Ileostomy and diabetes